Guinea Pigs

Guinea pigs are small, sociable, ‘chatty’ rodents. There are different breeds and varieties of guinea pigs, with a wide variety of colors and coat lengths.
Guinea pigs are traditionally thought of as good first pets for children, but it should always be an adult that takes responsibility to ensure they are properly handled and cared for.
Typically guinea pigs live for 5-6 years, but some may live longer.
Guinea pigs have specific dietary and housing needs.

There is no one “perfect” way to care for all guinea pigs because every guinea pig and every situation is different, but certain essential needs must be met. Guinea pigs are now housed indoors as house pets as well as outside. It is up to you how you look after your guinea pig, but you must take reasonable steps to ensure that you meet all its needs. Guinea pigs come from the grasslands and lower slopes of the Andes Mountains in South America.
Living in a draughty, damp, poorly ventilated or dirty environment may cause your guinea pig to suffer and become ill.
Guinea pigs are active animals. They need the opportunity to run, dig, stand fully upright on their back legs, and stretch out when lying down.
Guinea pigs are sensitive to temperature changes. They must be kept out of extreme heat or cold. Temperatures above 26°C can cause heat stroke and below 15°C can cause them to become chilled.
Guinea pigs are not very agile and are poor climbers.
Guinea pigs are inquisitive. If there are hazards within their environment they may easily injure themselves.
A guinea pig must be able to avoid things that scare it. Guinea pigs are a prey species and must be able to hide in a secure place, such as a tunnel, away from the sight and smell of predators (e.g. foxes, cats, dogs, ferrets and birds of prey).
Guinea pigs are creatures of habit and prefer a routine. They can easily become stressed if they are housed where there is a lot of noise and activity.
Guinea pigs are intelligent. They like to gnaw, chew and explore by moving from one area to another through tunnels. If your guinea pig is bored, and doesn’t have enough to do, it may suffer.

Enviroment

Provide your guinea pig with secure accommodation that is large enough for it to exercise in and high enough for it to stand up fully on its back legs.
You should provide both a large exercise area and a secure shelter where your guinea pig can rest, feel safe and is protected from predators and extremes of weather and temperature. Ensure all areas of your guinea pig’s environment are well ventilated, dry and draught-free.
Provide plenty of horizontal space with pipes and shelters to encourage your guinea pig to exercise.
Allow your guinea pig to exercise regularly; ideally it should have free access to its exercise area.
Protect your guinea pig from draughts and extremes of heat and cold.
If housed outdoors, the accommodation should be sheltered from direct sun and the prevailing wind direction. Ideally, when temperatures drop to below 15°C guinea pigs should be housed indoors. If not, they must be provided with sufficient bedding throughout the whole enclosure to enable them to keep warm.
If housed indoors, the accommodation should be away from direct sources of heat such as radiators and sunny windows and protected from draughts. A room temperature of 17-20°C is ideal. If your home is centrally heated, some areas may get too hot so think carefully about where to locate your guinea pig’s accommodation.
Place your guinea pig’s home in an area of your house or garden that is quiet and calm and away from dogs, cats, ferrets and other pets that it may see as a threat.
Ensure the accommodation is safe from predators such as dogs, cats, foxes and birds of prey.
Make sure your guinea pig has constant access to safe hiding places, pipes and shelters, where it can go to be alone if it wants to or hide if it feels afraid. There must be enough places to allow all your guinea pigs to hide at the same time.

Provide enough bedding to keep your guinea pig warm. Bedding should be safe for your guinea pig to eat, e.g. dust-free straw or hay. Products made from softwood, such as pine should not be used as these can make your guinea pig ill.
Provide untreated wooden toys to chew, such as fruit tree or willow sticks. Avoid toys made of plastic, as they may harm your guinea pig if chewed and swallowed.
Clean the guinea pigs accommodation regularly, to ensure it has clean, dry bedding.
If you are going away, try to find someone who will care for, and meet all your guinea pig’s welfare needs within its familiar home. If boarding your guinea pig, try to ease the move by keeping grouped guinea pigs together and taking familiar items, such as toys and pipes, along too.
When you transport your guinea pig make sure it is comfortable and safe at all times. Putting familiar smelling items and its guinea pig companion(s) in the carrier and the new environment can help make your guinea pig feel at ease.
Ensure the size and temperature of any place you leave your guinea pig (including your vehicle) is appropriate.
Make sure that where your guinea pig lives is safe, secure and free from hazards.

Diet

Without water to drink a guinea pig can become seriously ill.
Guinea pigs are grazers and naturally eat only grass, herbs and some plants like dandelion and groundsel.
The guinea pigs’ digestive system must have lots of grass and/or hay in order to function properly.
Some plants are poisonous to guinea pigs.
Guinea pigs do not naturally eat cereals, root vegetables or fruit.
Guinea pigs have special dietary needs and must have sufficient Vitamin C in their diet. Guinea pigs naturally eat for long periods of time throughout the day and night.
How much a guinea pig needs to eat depends on its age, lifestyle and state of health.
If a guinea pig eats more food than it needs, or too much of the wrong food, such as fruit or sweet treats, it will become overweight and may suffer.
Guinea pigs’ teeth grow continuously throughout their life and need to be worn down and kept at the correct length and shape by eating grass, hay and leafy green plants. Failure to eat the right diet can result in serious dental disease.
Guinea pigs produce two types of droppings – hard dry pellets, and softer moist pellets that it eats directly from its bottom and which are an essential part of its diet.

Things you should do

Provide fresh clean drinking water at all times. Check the water supply twice a day. Make sure the water doesn’t freeze in winter.
Good quality hay should make up the majority of your guinea pig’s diet and should be available at all times. Fresh grass and vegetables should be given as frequently as possible and ideally daily.
A fresh portion of grass-based guinea-pig pellets should also be available daily, as per the manufacturer’s instructions. This will provide essential Vitamin C. Vitamin C is destroyed over time and quickly with exposure to the air. So a fresh portion of pellets must be given each day, do not just top up the bowl, and always ensure the pellets are used by the best before date.
Fresh grass and leafy greens such as kale and broccoli are excellent sources of Vitamin C, and some leafy greens should be provided daily. However, do not give citrus fruits to your guinea pig.
Growing, pregnant, nursing or underweight guinea pigs may need a larger portion of pellets. Your vet will be able to advise you about how to provide the best diet for your guinea pig.
Find out which plants are safe to feed your guinea pig. Offer safe, washed leafy greens or weeds every day.
Do not feed lawnmower clippings as these can upset your guinea pig’s digestive system and make it ill.
Only give root vegetables like carrots, or fruit such as apples, in small amounts, such as an apple quarter, as a treat. Don’t feed any other treats as these may harm your guinea pig.
Adjust how much you feed your guinea pig to make sure it does not become underweight or overweight.
Don’t make any sudden changes to your guinea pig’s diet as this could upset its digestive system and make it very ill.
Monitor the amount your guinea pig eats and drinks. If your guinea pig’s eating or drinking habits change, if the number of droppings gets less or stops, or there are soft droppings sticking to its back end or lying around the cage, talk to your vet straight away as it could be seriously ill.

Guinea pigs are very social and inquisitive animals and need to interact with other friendly guinea pigs. Many can enjoy interacting with people.

Guinea pigs are active animals. They are active during the day and night and need frequent opportunities to exercise.
Sound is an important means of communication for a guinea pig and they have a wide variety of sounds that mean different things.
A guinea pig must be able to avoid things that scare it. Guinea pigs are a prey species and must be able to hide in a secure place, away from the sight and smell of predators (e.g. foxes, cats, dogs, ferrets and birds of prey).
The way a guinea pig behaves will depend on its age, personality and past experiences.
If your guinea pig changes its behaviour, it could be distressed, bored, ill or injured.
Guinea pigs that are frightened or in pain may change their behaviour or develop unwanted habits e.g. aggression or hiding most of the time.
Signs that your guinea pig may be suffering from stress or fear can include hiding most of the time, chewing cage bars, over-grooming, altered feeding or toileting habits, over-drinking or playing with the water bottle, sitting hunched, reluctance to move, and repeated circling of its enclosure.

Make sure your guinea pig can access all the things that it needs at all times (space, food, water, safe hiding places, companion guinea pig(s) and toys).
Provide your guinea pig with safe toys to play with and chew, and regular opportunities to play with other friendly guinea pigs or people.
Make sure your guinea pig has constant access to safe hiding places where it can escape if it feels afraid.
Make sure your guinea pig has opportunities to exercise every day to stay fit and healthy.
Provide your guinea pig with suitable materials that allow tunnelling behaviour, such as pipes and deep areas of hay/straw.
Be observant. If your guinea pig’s behaviour changes or it shows regular signs of stress or fear, seek advice from a vet.
Be quiet and gentle around your guinea pig. Never shout at or punish your guinea pig, it is very unlikely to understand and can become more nervous or scared. If your guinea pig’s behaviour becomes an ongoing problem, seek expert advice from your vet.

Health and welfare

Guinea pigs feel pain in the same way as other mammals, including people.
Guinea pigs are not good at showing outward signs of pain so may be suffering a great deal before anything is noticed. A change in the way a guinea pig normally behaves can be an early sign it is ill or in pain. If a guinea pig is not eating, is more quiet or hiding more than usual it is highly likely to be ill or in pain. Read more about guinea pig behavior.
Guinea pigs are vulnerable to many infectious diseases and other illnesses, especially dental disease.

Guinea pigs that are stressed are much more likely to become ill.
Signs that your guinea pig may be suffering from stress or fear can include hiding most of the time, chewing cage bars, over-grooming, altered feeding or toileting habits, over-drinking or playing with the water bottle, sitting hunched, reluctance to move, and repeated circling of its enclosure.

Some breeds of guinea pig have been selected for exaggerated physical features which can cause them to suffer and reduce their quality of life. For example long-haired breeds have very long hair which easily becomes matted.

Get your male guinea pig neutered, unless it is intended for breeding and provisions have been made to care for both parents and offspring. Before allowing guinea pigs to breed, seek the advice of your vet to ensure they are suitable for breeding in terms of their health and personalities.
Before deciding to buy a guinea pig make sure you find out how it has been bred, what it has been fed and how it has been cared for. Make sure you know if it has had any health or behaviour problems before you buy it and always check with a vet if you are unsure about anything.
Feeding your guinea pig the correct diet will help prevent a lot of common diseases such as dental and gut disease and lack of Vitamin C. Check that your guinea pig is eating every day and that it is passing plenty of dry droppings. If your guinea pig’s eating or drinking habits change or the number of droppings gets less or stops, talk to your vet straight away as it could be seriously ill.
Check your guinea pig for signs of illness or injury every day, and make sure this is done by someone else if you are away. In warm weather you should check the fur and skin around your guinea pig’s rear end and tail area twice a day, as urine staining or droppings that are stuck will attract flies, which can lay eggs and cause ‘flystrike’, which is often fatal.

Consult a vet immediately if you suspect that your guinea pig is in pain, ill or injured.
Front teeth and nails should be checked at least once a week as these can grow quickly. Only a vet should correct overgrown or misaligned teeth.
Take your guinea pig for a routine health check at your vets at least once each year.
Give your guinea pig treatment for external and internal parasites (e.g. mites and worms) as necessary, as advised by your vet.
Only use medicines that have been specifically recommended for your guinea pig by a vet. Some medicines used for other animals can be very dangerous to guinea pigs.
Ensure your guinea pig’s coat is kept in good condition by grooming it regularly. If you are unsure how to groom it properly seek advice from a pet care specialist. This is especially important in long haired breeds, which will need grooming daily. If your guinea pig changes its grooming habits, you should seek advice from a vet as your guinea pig may be ill.
A small amount of white discharge around the eyes is commonly seen when a guinea pig is grooming itself. However, if this increases or decreases, or there is a discharge at other times, it may be a sign that your guinea pig is ill.
Consider taking out pet insurance to ensure your guinea pig is covered if it needs veterinary treatment.